Danish Work Culture

It’s not all just about work/life balance…

Danish workplace culture is somewhat unique, and it is important to understand what that entails, if you are to thrive in your job. Many of the more formal forms of interactions that you may be used to in other parts of the world, can be quite different in a Danish workplace environment. We are not rude, we are just more personal and direct, which can seem like a stark difference if you arrive from a more conservative culture.

The areas that we will cover here are some of the more prevalent that you will find in a Danish workplace, and if you can learn to incorporate them in your daily work, you might just find that everything will go a bit smoother.

Hierarchy - A country with very few mountains...

...Denmark is quite flat and so are our leadership structures.

If you have no experience with Scandinavian work cultures, one aspect of working in Denmark that might be a bit of a culture shock to someone coming to live here, is how people of every level in an organization work together and interact.

Denmark is known for having a very low hierarchical structure, meaning that we expect and even encourage people to speak their minds and contribute to solving issues, regardless of where you might traditionally find yourself on the “totem pole” of a hierarchy. That doesn't mean that there isn’t a hierarchy of decision making, but instead that you should never be afraid to express your opinion, even if the person you are talking to is technically your superior.

Danes, for the most part, expect a leader, not a boss, and departments heads in Danish hospitals tend to not like giving out direct orders unless necessary. They instead want to communicate with you on a more communal basis, where your inputs are considered before making a decision. The system is based on trust in each other’s professionalism, and a belief that we all want to find the best solutions, an approach you can find in much of the Danish society.

Trust.

Trust can either be a scarce or otherwise hard-fought commodity in most places around the world, but it seems to be a bit more abundant in Denmark than most other palaces. You don’t have to look far to find roadside stalls where you can buy vegetables, eggs or honey, but where there is no-one manning the stall, instead there is merely a jar you can put the payment in, or a mobile pay service you can use.

That is a pretty good indication of what trust is like in a Danish workplace.

Denmark scored number one in a European Social Survey measuring trust, with number two to five being our other Nordic neighbours. That is to say, it is not a gimmick, people have a lot of trust in the system, but that does not mean that they blindly do what you tell them, quite the opposite in fact. Danes tend to be quite informed, and that might lead to you being questioned on your diagnosis at a hospital. Don’t however, take it as a slight, but instead accept that we like to be a part of the process regarding our own well-being, and that we trust you to be able to answer or account for the questions we might have.

This also carries over into the workplace. Micromanagement is not the norm in Denmark, we expect you to be able to carry out your work independently, but also that you have the courage to ask questions, or ask for help, when you need it. This is especially true in the healthcare system, where we have a culture of openness and honesty. No one is served by a doctor or nurse being unsure in a procedure or case and not asking for help. Better to ask if you are unsure, no one will look down on you, quite the opposite. The same goes for mistakes, if something happens, let others know, it may be something that everyone can learn from.

Tone of communication

Communication is important, that is probably one thing that most people can agree on, and often something that is handled very differently depending on what national or work culture you originally come from.

Denmark is no different on that point, and our style of communication might take some getting used to if you come from a culture of formality. That is because we as Danes tend to be quite informal in our way of interacting with each other, from the CEO to the cleaner, everyone is addressed by their first name, including in written form (e-mails). Communication as a whole is more direct than in many other countries.

That includes the healthcare professions. You may be used to being addressed as Dr. “insert name here”, whereas in Denmark, you will just be addressed by your first name, whether by colleagues, patients and other staff. We don’t put much stock in titles in Denmark, except for maybe the royal family. So, if you are royalty, please let us know beforehand.

Humour aside, more on that below, getting used to the Danish form of communication can take some getting used to. It's not because we are rude, but because we skip many of the formal pleasantries and get more directly to the point. That way of communicating can be a bit jarring if you are used to a very formal way of interacting. You don't have to be as cautious when speaking to a superior, but you'll also need to accept if someone else speaks in that manner to you.

Many however, learn to appreciate the no-nonsense way of communicating, as it often allows for more honest and productive conversations, leading to a more productive workflow.

Humour

While meant to be a concept of levity that joins people together, humour can be contentious if not conveyed or understood correctly. That can be especially true when the style of humour is both subtle and dark at the same time, which is often the case for Danish humour.

That sounds ominous, but it really isn’t. It ties back to our general style of communication as illustrated above. Danish humour usually comes in the form of either sarcasm or somewhat dark humour- what in some places is referred to as gallows-humour. It flows naturally with our direct way of communicating, but it can, if you are not aware of it, come across as insulting or insensitive if you are unaware of its nature or where it is coming from.

When coming to live here, it is therefore important to learn a bit about Danish humour, maybe watch some tv or comedy shows, to help gauge what the humour looks like in day-to-day speech. If you can better recognize it, it will help alliviate any misunderstandings that may arise.